


Cooking/Baking

by EloquentDossier



Series: 30-Day OTP Challenge [21]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: 30 Day OTP Challenge, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cute, Doctor Reid, Fic Teaser, Fic preview, M/M, Pre-Slash, Unit Chief Hotch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-21
Updated: 2015-12-21
Packaged: 2018-05-08 17:31:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5506619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EloquentDossier/pseuds/EloquentDossier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>Everything had started out well, truly.  Reid honestly didn't know when during his baking his luck had spiraled so horrendously out of control, though he was willing to admit it may have been when Hotch left to go pick up supplies for that evening.</em>
</p><p>xxx</p><p>One of thirty (different) potential fic previews.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cooking/Baking

**Author's Note:**

> Another **fic preview** for you lot. This is likely another long oneshot-in-the-making.
> 
> Now that the other one-shot is finished, I can finish these things~ I'm playing loose with the rules for this one because it's a fanfic and I can. :D
> 
> Long story short, Doctor Reid has a small area in which he takes care of FBI agents and optionally their families, located in the same building as the BAU and other departments, on the bottom floor. He also has an office separate from his clinic on an upper floor. For reasons to be disclosed later, he ends up being taught how to cook by Hotch.
> 
> That's all you necessarily need to know. As always, hope you guys enjoy!

Everything had started out well, truly.  Reid honestly didn't know when during his baking his luck had spiraled so horrendously out of control, though he was willing to admit it may have been when Hotch left to go pick up supplies for that evening.

All right, so there was no "may have been" about it; it was definitely when Hotch had left.  He'd somehow busted the bag of flour when trying to put it away, and in the process of trying to fix it had gotten it all over himself (and possibly the floor...and counters).  He'd decided then to simply leave the ingredients on the counter and had tried to clean up a little, and it was only after he was finished that he'd realized he'd made more of a mess than he'd started with, though he honestly didn't know how he'd managed that.  He had then taken a seat at the bar to wait for the oven's timer to go off, flipping through the cookbooks that were nearby.

A timer that would never go off, he determined a little while later when he looked up after finishing his perusal of the cookbooks.  The timer hadn't gone down at all, and he couldn't quite remember what time he'd put the cake in the oven.  Thankfully, at that moment he heard Hotch coming in the door, and he waited for the older man to enter, wringing his hands nervously.

"I know that stance," Hotch commented as he came into the kitchen, gaze sweeping around the room briefly.  "What's wrong?"

Reid hesitated before blurting, "I forgot to start the timer for the cake, and I don't remember what time I put it in there."

Hotch quirked a brow and walked over to the oven, opening the door and checking on it.  He closed the door again and made a short motion with his hand.  "Come here."  Reid quickly made his way to Hotch's side, peeking into the oven when Hotch opened it again.  "You see how parts of it look a little shiny?  That's because they're not entirely baked yet.  Most of the time you can tell when a cake is finished simply by looking at it."  When Reid nodded, Hotch shut the oven once more and stood up straight.  "We'll leave it for another five minutes and then we can take it out and check it with a toothpick."

The doctor nodded and murmured, "Sounds good," almost absently.  "At least it seems like I didn't ruin the cake.  Uh, sorry about the rest of the kitchen.  I tried to clean up but just ended up making a bigger mess."  He managed a sheepish smile, trying to ignore the way his face and ears heated up as he blushed.

"It's fine, Reid.  I told you I would clean when I got back," Hotch reminded him with a smile.  "I left the bags on the table.  Do you mind unloading them?"

"Of course I don't mind," Reid retorted, turning and heading out of the kitchen and into the living room.  He opened the first bag and pulled out the plates and napkins, sparing them a glance as he set the empty bag down.  His eyes widened as he took in the design on the plate, and he snatched up the rest of the bags, his jaw dropping as he left the supplies behind and returned to the kitchen.  "Hotch, you didn't."

The older man was smiling almost smugly as he shrugged.  "Your birthday is the day after tomorrow, so I figured if my team isn't on a case, we could celebrate it, and the Doctor Who party supplies were too good to pass up."  Hotch paused before adding, "Though I will admit I did debate on if Star Wars might have been better."

Reid couldn't form any words to express how grateful he was that Hotch had even thought about him at all.  "I can't...  How did you even know my birthday was in two days?"

Hotch's smile turned slightly shy, and he shrugged one shoulder in a way Reid knew expressed his nervousness.  "You're in the Bureau's files."

"You looked up my birthday?" Reid asked incredulously, furrowing his brows.

"My tech analyst did," the older man admitted.  "She was curious about you."

Reid took a quick moment to recall the name and the face.  "Penelope Garcia, right?  Why didn't she just come to my office?"

Hotch relaxed slightly and chuckled.  "That's not her preferred way of obtaining information."  That statement only served to confuse Reid even more, but he didn't press the issue.  He would find out eventually; he always did.


End file.
